Iím new to the hobby and am greatly enjoying my Bachmann Digital Commander.

Iíve already found very useful information on this forum as a lurker for the past couple of months. Now as a member, Iíll no doubt have many questions. So hereís the first.

Iím curious what the general feeling is about unplugging the controller (DCC) when not in use. Iíve been leaving it plugged in overnight (turned Ďoffí of course) unless Iím going to be away for a few days. I'd prefer to leave it plugged in if there is no danger of damage.

Thereís probably no agreed-upon answer, but I am curious as to what Bachmann recommends and what others do.

FLare, don't give inaccurate info. Addresses, CVs and the like are stored in the decoder, not the controller. There is no danger of losing them if the controller is unplugged. If this info was stored in the controller, you'd have to reprogram the decoder every time you took your locomotives to a train club, a friend's layout, etc. The fact that you don't is proof this info is in the decoder.

FLare, don't give inaccurate info. Addresses, CVs and the like are stored in the decoder, not the controller. There is no danger of losing them if the controller is unplugged. If this info was stored in the controller, you'd have to reprogram the decoder every time you took your locomotives to a train club, a friend's layout, etc. The fact that you don't is proof this info is in the decoder.

Yes, but what is the lifespan of the data in the decoders? I've read that solid state memory can be lost if left unpowered long enough.

Loss of data hasn't been a problem with usb drives, and if it were a major problem with decoders, don't you think people would give up on DCC? Nobody wants to reprogram decoders every time they want to run trains.